Teacher Education

Approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

Accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

The preparation of excellent teachers is the primary mission of the department. At Bradley, students are expected to become human resource specialists. The College believes that the productive educator must be an educational leader, advocate, and life-long learner. The smaller class size at Bradley, the caring attitude of the faculty, and the excellent placement record of teacher education graduates make the College an exceptional place from which to launch a teaching career.

As a result of classroom instruction and field experiences in education, it is intended that students will:

acquire knowledge and skills to differentiate instruction for students to account for individual differences;

gain competence in planning and presenting subject matter and evaluating the learning of students;

acquire the understanding and knowledge to analyze learning processes of students;

gain competence in the skills of classroom structure and organization;

develop an understanding of their responsibility as professional educators; and

develop the desire to continue professional growth and study.

The majors in early childhood education, elementary education, early childhood/elementary education, and learning behavior specialist I/elementary education require an area of concentration in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts. Students must consult with their advisors for details on the area of concentration.

Although the programs in teacher education are designed to meet State of Illinois requirements, graduates will find that they are eligible for certification in a variety of states in addition to Illinois. Currently 36 states have signed the Interstate Certification Agreement with Illinois and will issue a comparable entry-level certificate for elementary, early childhood, high school, or special education graduates. Students must consult with the certification officer for details. All programs are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education, and the unit is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Advancement to Degree Candidacy Required

Students uncertain about a career in education may take introductory education courses. Admission to most upper-level courses requires department advancement to degree candidacy status or special permission of the department chair or the departmental academic review committee. Through the freshman and sophomore years, students may remain in teacher education courses if their overall grade point average is not below a 2.0 or “C.” To be advanced to degree candidacy, however, the grade point averages required are a 2.50 overall and a 2.50 in education, with a grade of 2.0 (C) or better for each education course. In addition, secondary education, K–12, art, music, elementary, early childhood education, early childhood/elementary, and learning behavior specialist I/elementary education students must also achieve a 2.50 in the courses which comprise the teaching field(s). Elementary education majors, early childhood education, early childhood/elementary, and learning behavior specialist I/elementary education majors must declare a concentration. The courses that make up the concentration will be included in the teaching field GPA. If students are to be considered for advancement and candidacy, they must have earned grades of not less than 2.0 (C) in ENG 101, COM 103 (or equivalents) and a mathematics course that meets University general education requirements. There are additional requirements for advancement to candidacy beyond these minimum grade point averages, including demonstration of appropriate preprofessional behaviors. Students should consult with their advisors regarding these additional requirements. Under extraordinary circumstances, a waiver of the requirement may be requested for the period of one semester only.

Ordinarily, students make application to candidacy in their sophomore year. At the end of the semester, department faculty evaluate students on their academic achievements and professional growth. Continuance in the program is reviewed if at any time after advancement to candidacy a student’s overall grade point average falls below 2.50; education grade point average falls below 2.50; for secondary education, K–12, art, music, and elementary education, early childhood education, early childhood/elementary students, and learning behavior specialist I/elementary education the grade point average in the teaching field(s) falls below 2.50; the student fails to demonstrate appropriate preprofessional behaviors; or other circumstances occur which would make a teacher candidate uncertifiable. Additionally, students must provide a satisfactory criminal background check report and demonstrate acceptable competency on Dispositions modules. Students with questions about advancement to degree candidacy and maintenance of candidacy status should see their advisors in the college or the chair of the Department of Teacher Education.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is an important culminating experience for each teacher education program. It is the policy of the department that all student teaching assignments be in or immediately near Peoria, Illinois, or in the approved distant placement program (if student meets qualifications). Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case petition when there are extenuating circumstances. Students with questions about student teaching should see the director of clinical and field experiences or the chair of the Department of Teacher Education. Student teaching and all other field and clinical experiences must be taken for a pass/fail grade.

General Education, Degree, and Certification Requirements for Teacher Education Students

Brief outlines of programs are presented for the benefit of prospective students interested in preparing for the teaching profession. Both University degree requirements and Illinois teacher certification requirements are included. Degree and certification requirements differ. Programs and class schedules are to be planned each semester in consultation with the student’s academic advisor. While a student ordinarily may graduate and be certified under the University catalog requirements in effect at the time the student becomes a teacher education candidate, the Illinois State Teacher Certification Board may mandate changes in standards of approved teacher education programs, requiring students to modify or add to their original degree programs in order to be eligible for certification upon completion of graduation requirements. As in any good program, revisions are being made continually; students should consult their education advisor about current program requirements.

All education courses required by the major must have a grade of C or better. For secondary and K–12 art and music, all courses required for the major must have a grade of C or better. For elementary, early childhood, early childhood/elementary, and learning behavior specialist/elementary majors, all courses required for the concentration must have a grade of C or better. This is a state requirement.

Although students are assigned an academic advisor, the ultimate responsibility for meeting the program requirements for graduation is that of the student. Students are responsible for their programs. Students should download a copy of the departmental handbook. A minimum of 124 hours is needed for graduation.

Illinois Certification Tests Required

Each student must pass all applicable certification tests for their major prior to certification. Currently, the Illinois Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) must be passed prior to advancement to candidacy for all majors. The applicable Illinois Content-Area test(s) must be passed prior to student teaching, and the applicable Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) test must be passed prior to graduation. As with other requirements, the number and type of tests required are subject to changes implemented by the state legislature or the Illinois State Board of Education at any time prior to certification.

Second Teaching Certificates

Students seeking a second teaching certificate must have their transcript(s) evaluated for the desired certificate by the Certification Officer. No additional general education courses will be required provided the overall GPA is 2.5 or better. The concentration for the Early Childhood and the Elementary Education certificates will be considered met by their previous degree provided the overall GPA is 2.5 or better. Students seeking a secondary education certificate who hold a degree in a subject for which Bradley University has a state-approved certification program must take a minimum of 6 semester hours of courses at the 300 level or above in the subject at Bradley University. If they do not hold a degree in the subject, they must complete a major in the subject. The education courses required for each certificate are the same as those listed in this section of the catalog. ETE 492 is the student teaching course for a second teaching certificate. Students may present evidence to show how they have met requirements for specific education courses. This evidence will be evaluated by several faculty members to make a final determination as to whether it meets the requirements of the course. A minimum of 12-16 semester hours, plus student teaching, must be completed at Bradley University. All coursework must be a grade of "C" or better to count toward certification. Passage of all applicable state certification tests is required for certification. Address questions to the Certification Officer.

Transcript Evaluation to Pursue Teacher Certification

All individuals pursuing teacher certification credentials, such as a Second Bachelor’s/Teacher Certification, or Certification Only, should apply online to transfer admissions. Individuals should indicate their area of teaching interest. The Certification Officer will work with admissions.

Second Bachelor’s/Teacher Certification: Individuals who graduate from Bradley or other universities and who wish to pursue state teacher certification and who are not currently certified teachers must enroll as a Second Bachelor’s degree student.

Certification Only: Individuals who are currently Illinois state certified teachers and who wish to pursue an additional teaching certificate or teaching endorsement will enroll as a Graduate Student at Large at either the undergraduate or graduate level (if they are pursuing a graduate degree). Certification courses are offered at the undergraduate level of instruction

Early Childhood Majors(birth through grade 3)

General Education Requirements

Communication Skills

Mathematics

Gen. Ed. Math - 3 hrs.

Science

*FS SCI 101 Topics in Investigative Science for Educators - 4 hrs.

*Science electives - 7-8 hrs.

A minimum of 11 hours, including coursework in at least three of these disciplines: biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics. Six hours taken below the 300 level are used to meet the General Education requirement in Science.

*Students must have 6 hours of math and/or science beyond General Education requirements to qualify for a Bachelor of Science degree.

General Education Requirements

Communication Skills

Mathematics

Gen. Ed. Math - 3 hrs.

Science

*FS SCI 101 Topics in Investigative Science for Educators - 4 hrs.

*Science electives - 7-8 hrs.

A minimum of 11 hours, including coursework in at least three of these disciplines: biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics. Six hours taken below the 300 level are used to meet the General Education requirement in Science.

*Students must have 6 hours of math and/or science beyond General Education requirements to qualify for a Bachelor of Science degree.

Elementary Education Majors

General Education Requirements

Communication Skills

Mathematics

Gen. Ed. Math - 3 hrs.

Science

*FS SCI 101 Topics in Investigative Science for Educators - 4 hrs.

*Science electives - 7-8 hrs.

A minimum of 11 hours, including coursework in at least three of these disciplines: biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics. Six hours taken below the 300 level are used to meet the General Education requirement in Science.

*Students must have 6 hours of math and/or science beyond General Education requirements to qualify for a Bachelor of Science degree.

Middle School Endorsement

For those elementary or secondary education majors interested in obtaining the State of Illinois middle school endorsement, which would enable them to teach grades 6–8, the following courses are required in addition to the major.

ETE 227 Development of the Early Adolescent - 3 hrs.

ETE 228 Strategies for Middle School Instruction - 3 hrs.

Change of College and Curriculum

Students who enter the University in the AEP program or another major may change their major to any of the teacher education programs only if their overall grade point average is a minimum of 2.50. Students wishing to enter one of the secondary education or K-12 programs must also have a minimum grade point average of 2.50 in their major and 2.50 in education courses.

Areas of Concentration

Students majoring in elementary education, early childhood education, early childhood/elementary, or LBSI/ELE are required to complete 18 additional hours of study to satisfy one of the following areas of concentration. Unless noted, courses taken to meet other program requirements may not be used to complete the Area of Concentration requirement.

English

Not open to LBSI/ELE majors.

Minimum 18 hours beyond general education English courses with 9 hours at the 300 level or above in addition to courses taken to meet the General Education requirements.

Foundational English from these options (9 hours):

3 hrs. Survey of American/British Literature (ENG 233, 235, 237, 239)

Creative Writing (ENG 207)

Introduction to Literary Criticism and Theory (ENG 270)

Language Study (3 hours):

Introduction to Language (ENG 311) or

Grammar (ENG 312)

Adolescent Literature (3 hours): Young Adult Literature (ENG 320)

Electives (3 hrs.) One additional course beyond General Education Requirements from the following options:

Foreign Language (French, German or Spanish)

6 hours of electives in appropriate language at the 200 level or above

General Science

A minimum of 12 hours must be at the 300 level or above.

One 300-level course each in biology, physics, chemistry and earth science.

The concentration must include the equivalent of at least 3 hours of labs.

The major program, including general education and other program requirements, must include a minimum of 29 hours of science.

A minimum of 6 hours of the hours taken in the concentration, beyond the general education requirement, will be from one of the four areas: biology, physics, chemistry or earth science.

Math

Not open to LBSI/ELE majors.

MTH 111 and MTH 115 or MTH 119 or 121 with B or higher in each course before declaring math concentration or taking further math courses.

Minimum 18 hours beyond general education math course, with at least 9 hours at the 300 level or above.

MTH 111 (used as the general education requirement)

MTH 190

MTH 115, MTH 119, or MTH 121

MTH 300 (topics course rotating among geometry, algebra and number theory, and history of mathematics) repeated for 9 hours in 3 different areas.

One additional course above MTH 111 (excluding MTH 118)

General Social Studies

Minimum 18 hours with at least 9 hours at the 300 level or above.

One course each from the following areas:

Political Science (PLS 202, 205 or 208)

US History (HIS 203, 204 or 300)

World History

Economics (ECO 100 or 313)

Sociology (SOC 300, 311, 312, 313, 314 or 315)

Three hours of electives in one of these four disciplines: political science, history, sociology or economics.

The 18 hours required for this concentration are in addition to the General Education requirements. Within the General Education requirements, PLS 105 must be taken as part of the Social Forces and Non-Western studies must be either HIS 336 or 337.

To satisfy the State of Illinois mandates, which add clinical field experiences prior to student teaching for programs leading to certification, students will be required to enroll in pre-clinical experience courses.

NOTE: The candidate for the secondary teacher’s certificate maintains registration in the college offering the selected subject matter preparation. Usually the student’s academic major will provide the core of the teaching area preparation. However, the State of Illinois may require specific areas of preparation. Students must consult their education advisor. Candidates will have an advisor in both their major area of preparation and in the Department of Teacher Education.

General Education Requirements

Communication Skills

COM 103 The Oral Communication Process - 3 hrs.

ENG 101 English Composition - 3 hrs.

ENG 300, 301, 304, 305, or 306 - 3 hrs.

Mathematics

Gen. Ed. Math - 3 hrs.

Math or Science elective (if B.S.) - 3–6 hrs.

Science

Electives 6–8 hrs.

Science or math elective (if B.S.) [hours counted above] (3–6 hrs.)

Humanities

Fine Arts (ART, MUS, or THE) - 3 hrs.

† English (Gen. Ed. literature course) - 3 hrs.

Non-western Civilization - 3 hrs.

†Elective - 3 hrs.

†One must meet Gen. Ed. HP requirement and one must meet HL requirement

*English majors have methods courses offered by the English Department.

Total: 45–51 hrs.

Major minimum: 32 hrs.

Additional electives as needed for specific teaching area: 0–12 hrs.

Grand total: 124 hrs.

Special K-12(Art, Music)

Art Education(K–12)

The candidate for the art teacher’s certificate maintains registration in the Slane College of Communications & Fine Arts. The Department of Art will provide the core of the teaching area preparation. Candidates will have an advisor in both the Department of Art and in the Department of Teacher Education. Candidates should contact their advisors for specific course requirements.

General Education Requirements

Coursework as required for the B.A. or B.S. degree.

Total General Education: 43 hrs.

Professional Education Requirements

ETE 100 Technology Applications - 1 hr.

ETE 115 Schools and Schooling in American Society - 3 hrs.

ETE 116 Field Experience: Schools and Schooling in American Society - 1 hr.

ETE 210 Human Development from Birth to Young Adulthood - 3 hrs.

ETE 211 Human Development from Birth to Young Adulthood Field Experience - 1 hr.

Other

For specific coursework in Art, please see the Art Department/Art Education Major section of this catalog.

Music Education(K-12)

The candidate for the music teacher’s certificate maintains registration in the Slane College of Communications & Fine Arts. The Department of Music will provide the core of the teaching area preparation (see Department of Music). Candidates will have an advisor in both the Department of Music and in the Department of Teacher Education. Students should consult their music advisors for major requirements.

General Education Requirements

Coursework as required for the B.M.E. (Bachelor of Music Education) degree.

Total General Education: 43 hrs.

Professional Education Requirements

ETE 100 Technology Applications - 1 hr.

ETE 115 Schools and Schooling in American Society - 3 hrs.

ETE 116 Field Experience: Schools and Schooling - 1 hr.

ETE 210 Human Development from Birth to Young Adulthood - 3 hrs.

ETE 211 Human Development from Birth to Young Adulthood Field Experience - 1 hrs.

Learning Behavior Specialist I

General Education Requirements

Communication Skills

Mathematics

Gen. Ed. Math - 3 hrs.

Science

*FS SCI 101 Topics in Investigative Science for Educators - 4 hrs.

*Science electives - 7-8 hrs.

A minimum of 11 hours, including coursework in at least three of these disciplines: biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics. Six hours taken below the 300 level are used to meet the General Education requirement in Science.

*Students must have 6 hours of math and/or science beyond General Education requirements to qualify for a Bachelor of Science degree.

Coursework must include at least one laboratory science.

Foreign Language

Must present credit for two years of college-level foreign language or its equivalent if BA.

Learning Behavior Specialist I/Elementary Education (LBS I/ELE)

Students in the LBSI/ELE major complete the same general education requirements as the LBSI major. The combined major requires more courses in Professional Education and an 18-hour concentration in general science, general social studies, fine arts, or foreign language. With this major, a person may obtain two teaching certificates in elementary education and as a Learning Behavior Specialist I.

Communication Skills

COM 103 The Oral Communication Process - 3 hrs.

ENG 101 English Composition - 3 hrs.

ENG 300, 301, 304, 305, or 306 - 3 hrs.

Mathematics

Gen. Ed. Math - 3 hrs.

Science

*FS SCI 101 Topics in Investigative Science for Educators - 4 hrs.

*Science electives - 7-8 hrs.

A minimum of 11 hours, including coursework in at least three of these disciplines: biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics. Six hours taken below the 300 level are used to meet the General Education requirement in Science.

*Students must have 6 hours of math and/or science beyond General Education requirements to qualify for a Bachelor of Science degree.

Coursework must include at least one laboratory science.

Foreign Language

Must present credit for two years of college-level foreign language or its equivalent if BA.

Fine Arts; Foreign Language; General Science; or General Social Studies: 18 hrs.

Minimum total for LBS I/ELE major: 147 hrs.

Early Childhood Special Education Approval

For those special education students interested in obtaining the State of Illinois early childhood special education approval, which would enable the graduate to teach in preschool handicapped programs with children up to six years of age, the following courses are required in addition to the major. (These courses are built into the Early Childhood Education program, so these students will be entitled to this approval upon graduation.)